Jaundice
Jaundice is a symptom in which bilirubin, a bile pigment, is deposited in certain tissues of the body, giving the skin, the mucous membranes, and the whites of the eyes a yellow color.
A. When Red Blood Cell Destruction Is Increased.
Under this circumstance the amount of bilirubin being carried to the liver for final disposal is so great that some of the excess seeps into the spaces between the tissue cells, imparting a yellow color. This may occur in certain anemias and in malaria, pneumococcal pneumonia, and yellow fever.
B. When the Liver Becomes Incapacitated.
In certain kinds of liver disease the liver cannot dispose of the normal amount of bilirubin brought to it by the blood. Thus the amount of bilirubin in the blood increases and jaundice appears. Hepatitis is the liver disease usually responsible for this type of jaundice . Cirrhosis of the liver sometimes causes jaundice.
C. When There Is an Obstruction to the Flow of Bile.
In this case the bilirubin backs up and accumulates in the blood so that jaundice results. There are two major causes for this type of jaundice: the lodgment of a gallstone in the common bile duct and the development of a cancer in the head of the pancreas where it presses against the common bile duct, preventing the flow of bile.
